Is the president killing Obamacare or is it dying on its own?

With the utter failure by the Republican-controlled Congress to pass a replacement for the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) or to outright repeal it, people would think that Obamacare is now the permanent law of the land. But is it? The Trump administration has cut funding in many key areas that help with enrollment. These steps taken by the administration will undoubtedly have a negative impact on enrollment and will probably weaken the law. With lower enrollment numbers, premiums will again rise, which will also weaken the law. Before these actions were taken, though, there were already problems with the law. Premiums were skyrocketing, people had to change doctors because not all doctors accepted Obamacare-purchased insurance, and the insurance marketplaces were collapsing. With all these things happening, the question is raised: Is President Trump deliberately trying to sabotage Obamacare or will Obamacare fail on its own?

People who feel the president is deliberately trying to sabotage Obamacare point to actions his administration has taken towards funding Obamacare enrollment programs. The Trump administration has cut advertising and government outreach programs by 90 percent. The administration has cut funding to outside groups that reach out and enroll people by 41 percent. Also, the administration has cut the enrollment period in half and has announced that healthcare.gov will be taken down for maintenance several hours a day on some of the enrollment days. All of these actions make people feel that if the president can’t repeal Obamacare, he will do everything in his power to kill it.

Those who feel Obamacare is failing will quickly point out the high prices Obamacare brings with it. Premiums and deductibles have risen substantially since Obamacare became the law of the land. Also, they will point out how the insurance exchanges are becoming increasingly unstable as insurance companies across the board are pulling out of them. In addition, the individual mandate, the most unpopular part of the program, does not work. There are a lot of people out there that would rather pay the tax penalty than get the high priced insurance. So, there are not as many people getting Obamacare as was expected.

Obamacare appears to be on its way to failing. With the high prices and chaotic insurance exchanges, many think it is just a matter of time before it collapses. Plus, with the help of the current administration’s cuts to key programs, the time of its collapse may be sooner than we think.

Fox News reported on Obamacare’s financial problems last year.

The issue

Is Obamacare failing on its own, or is the president trying to sabotage the law by cutting funding to key areas such as enrollment?

President Trump is sabotaging Obamacare

The people who think President Trump is sabotaging Obamacare point to the budget cuts and his desire to see the law done away with.

Trump couldn't follow through with his promise to repeal Obamacare, so now he's sabotaging it instead.https://t.co/D5ePFBjPJR

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